Is Domestic Violence the Next Step for #MeToo?

The #MeToo movement has been sweeping the country. Women have been inspiring each other to speak out about sexual violence. The power of the collective is on display as women inspire women to tell their stories. Contrary to the neoliberal notion of individualized oppression the sheer mass number of people coming forward about their experiences with sexual violence has shined a spotlight on oppression of women as a class.

What remains to be seen is if this movement will change the lives of the masses of women who are left behind in our society. The mainstream cases have been linked to the celebrity and the workplace. Violence in the home is yet to be questioned by the elites. Studies from across the country by the ACLU have shown that women must consistently choose between abusive relationships and homelessness/poverty. Calling the police for help often leads to evictions from landlords because it is seen as a disturbance. A history of domestic abuse makes it harder to get a home in the first place. Calling the police in this country at any time is quite dangerous for black and Native people.

In a separate report the ACLU says that 88% of domestic violence victims reported that the police didn’t believe them. This is a truly absurd statistic. The study goes on: “Nearly 90 percent of survey respondents said that contact with the police sometimes or often resulted in involvement of child protective services,…